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The Art of Overcoming Adversity: Seven Essential Stages to Overcoming any Challenge

Remember the quote from the movie Forrest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get”? Who doesn’t right? It’s memorable because it accurately describes the way life works sometimes.

Whether we like it or not at some point you will encounter a huge challenge. You could be right now in this very instant. The challenge could be from a variety of ways but it’s certain you will face it and things might seem overwhelming at some point in time. Now while this might seem a bit pessimistic the reality is that life is a challenging journey as a whole. It will have its ups and downs.

Through my experience and that of others, I have studied how people overcome difficult situations and I have found that most of the journeys have various similar stages that ultimately lead to success. Here are seven of these essential steps to overcoming adversity:

Accept your reality.
When life hits you with a difficult situation there is no time to waist. Nothing will change your situation unless you accept it as your reality and decide to do something about it. There are only two options: Either you dwell on it and lose your self in self-pity or suck it up and take on the challenge head on. You will need to take responsibility for where you are even if external factors lead to your problem.

Find your inner strength.
Do an evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses. Think of what is it that you do well and build on it. Focus solely on the things you excel at and seek support for those where you don’t. Forgive yourself if there is any lingering self-blame and stop doubting your ability to overcome. Find spiritual guidance if you need it and regain your ability to move forward.

Set your goal.
To set goals you need a vision, so after understanding your situation and finding inner strength you need to visualize where you want to be. Think of what you want to accomplish and set some small goals that will lead you to accomplishing this bigger vision.

Take Action.
Nothing will ever happen or change if you don’t take action. Even small action is good, but know that the more effort you put into accomplishing your goals the better results you will get. Start with baby steps. That’s all you need. Then hold your course until you start seeing the progress you desire. Be patient, because the size of the challenge will determine the time and effort needed to conquer it.

Don’t lose focus.
Everything you do is setting up your greatest accomplishment in life. Take each step towards overcoming adversity with conviction and with a purpose. Believe that you can overcome and you will succeed. No one in history has achieved greatness without stumbling along the way.

Find your purpose.
As hard as it might seem, you will have to find your purpose to overcome adversity. Your journey will lead you through paths that will ultimately help you understand your purpose in life. If you take the time to learn, evaluate and gain new perspectives through this journey you will eventually find yourself and within you will find your purpose. Maintain an open mind and be aware of your experiences that bring you joy.

Help others to help yourself.
Overcoming adversity is a life journey because the effects and emotional scars form these great challenges will linger throughout. When you have done everything right to overcome adversity you will also hold onto the lessons you have encountered along the way and you will have the ability to help others. Helping others will help you fill any void that is left from the challenges that you have overcome and you will be whole.

[pullquote2 align=”left”]Do not lose time dwelling in the past or regretting what has happened…[/pullquote2]
Whether you have a small or large challenge ahead it all starts with accepting reality. Do not lose time dwelling in the past or regretting what has happened, this will only make it harder to push forward and it will take a longer time to get to where you need to be.

Think of your biggest challenge in life and evaluate of how these seven steps are relatable to your experience. Are there other important steps that need to be considered? Let me know in the comments section below.

The Art of Overcoming Adversity: Seven Essential Stages to Overcoming any Challenge was last modified: October 17th, 2016 by Humberto

Humberto Gurmilán is an accomplished Emmy Award-winning journalist and producer. He currently works for Spanish network
Telemundo and now hosts the Overcome Podcast.
Humberto is also the founder of
The Gurmilan Foundation a non-profit organization that serves people with disabilities in San Diego and Tijuana.
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